Cupcake Photography Lesson #1

Okay, so you have a blog or are thinking about starting a food blog but you are lost when it comes to taking the photos?

Well you have come to the right place.

2 1/2 years ago, I knew just about nothing. Even now, I don’t know all the tricky photo lingo or photoshop stuff or anything. But I have taught myself (successfully might I boast) how to take good cupcake photos.

My camera is a Cannon T3i (which is basically the same as a T2i) and I use a 50 mm lens (which is about $100.) But if you have an iphone, you can get away with that for a while. The only problem is that is distorts the image a bit, so small things like cupcake look a tad stretched.

It’s always nice to see the pull backs isn’t it??!! I think we all have a similar set up & most people are shocked to see where the images are actually taken when the final image looks the way it does. 🙂 Beautiful work as always.

Thanks so much for posting this! I was wondering what camera you use and what settings do you switch to for these photos? Do you photograph indoors, or always outdoors (and how do those settings change?)

I always use natural light, (there will be a post on lighting) and as for settings… all that really matters to me is that I get a shallow depth of field. Most “real” photographers all use Manual mode, but that scares me.

Great post! I know my pics are more of the step-by-step process of how a recipe/craft/etc. is done, but I’d still like them to look nice. Right now I’m happy when the lens is not all steamed up from getting a “pot shot”. I’m always worried about getting the dishes in the sink in the photo, too (because when you cook, there are always dishes that end up in the sink). I haven’t figured out how to get the close up and blur the background. Looking forward to the next post!

Hi Anne, that “blurred” effect comes from the aperture setting… The lower the F-stop the blurrier the background will be. If you have a camera that allows you to change the aperture then you can play with it. 🙂

Thanks for sharing! I don’t have a blog, but am a home baker and amateur photographer. It is always fun to hear what others are doing, and what you are doing is beautiful AND delicious! 🙂 Keep up the great work!